Car Insurance in Baton Rouge

As the state capital, Baton Rouge is one of the most important cities in Louisiana. And with a population of nearly 850,000, there are many amazing people to meet while you’re there.

Of course, that many people means there are plenty of drivers on the road. To stay safe, you need to understand the basics of Baton Rouge’s traffic safety, infrastructure, and car insurance requirements.

That’s why we put together this guide. It will help answer all of your questions while keeping you safe as you drive through one of the most exciting cities in the world!

Quick Facts

Relative to the minimum car insurance requirements of the state, full coverage insurance in Baton Rouge can be somewhat expensive. Keep reading to discover what those minimum requirements are and ways to lower your monthly insurance premium.

How Many Fatal Accidents Happen in Baton Rouge?

In 2020, there were a total of 88 fatal car accidents in Baton Rouge. This is the highest number of traffic fatalities in the city in nearly two decades.

How Are the Road Infrastructure and Bridges in Baton Rouge?

As with New Orleans and most of Louisiana, road infrastructure and bridges are a very mixed bag. The state as a whole received a D+ on infrastructure from the White House, and Baton Rouge, in particular, has several bridges in very poor states of disrepair.

However, hope is around the corner. Eight of the bridges in the worst condition in East Baton Rouge Parish will be demolished and replaced in 2021. And Baton Rouge will be getting a good chunk of the $216 million (out of the $1.4 trillion relief package passed by Congress in 2020) to repair bridges, roads, and other important elements of the city’s infrastructure.

We always recommend getting more than the minimum amount of car insurance in any state. But if you will get the right level of coverage in Louisiana, you need to understand what the minimum coverage amounts are.

Louisiana car insurance minimum requirements are as follows:

It is common for Baton Rouge drivers to ask themselves how the insurance company determined their monthly premium. Below, we have a list of the different factors the state of Louisiana allows insurance carriers to consider when calculating your premium.

Every car insurance carrier offers discounts to drivers based on certain factors or driving behaviors. While you need to contact your specific insurance carrier to verify which discounts they offer, the following discounts are very common in Baton Rouge and throughout the state of Louisiana.

Obviously, it’s important to meet the minimum car insurance requirements before you drive through Baton Rouge. But do you know what the penalties are if you are caught driving without having any insurance?

Upon the first offense, police will suspend your registration, remove the license plates, and then impound your vehicle. You will get a Temporary Vehicle Use Authorization sticker allowing you to drive for three days. This gives you time to visit the Office of Motor Vehicles and present your insurance information.

Upon the second offense, the same things will happen. But now, you will need to pay a reinstatement fee of $160 as well as fines for vehicle storage and vehicle wreckage.

Upon the third offense, the same things happen, but the reinstatement fee jumps to $510. And if you are in a car accident and don’t have insurance, you likely cannot get compensation even if you were the victim and even if this is your first offense.

In fact, the only way to get compensation, in this case, is to pay out of pocket for damages: $25,000 for property damage and $15,000 for your personal injuries. After you meet that threshold, the remaining costs will be compensated by the other driver’s insurance if they were at fault.